Warning: Some Mothers Will Want To Skip This Post

But hey, I'm all about keeping it real, and this is how we roll around here.

Enoch turned nine on January 30th. As gifts he received assorted boy things. We're not big on toys in this house. We love legos and blocks and playmobile, but by the time a boy is nine, he's ready for real things.

Like antler firestarters for camping.

And if you give a boy a fire starter, he's going to want to start a fire.

Now keep in mind, we heat strictly with a woodstove. If not for fires, we would freeze in the winter. And Enoch has been starting fires in our stoves since he was eight. He has been trained. He knows all about fire safety. And he knows he is BUSTED if he starts a fire without permission.

Along with the fire starter, he also received a pocket saw, some carbines, a steel match holder, a WWII Army surplus backpack. Let's just say, he was one happy camper.

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3 thoughts on “Warning: Some Mothers Will Want To Skip This Post”

Good for him!
We have a woodstove, too; but I’m not sure at what age I’ll let my boys start and build up fires in it.
It’s obvious that you teach your sons (and daughters) the responsible way to use such things, and that’s great!

My husband and I are considering boycotting toys as presents from family members to our kids–we have so much JUNK cluttering up the house that they don’t even play with beyond the first few days!
I can’t wait until my boys are old enough to start scouting. It was a huge part of my husband’s childhood, and I’m very excited to start teaching them such “real life” skills as knife safety and how to build fires.
I just recently found your blog, and I’m hooked! 🙂

My dad has always insisted that teaching children things like starting campfires and handling knives are best taught matter of factly when the child is young. That way there is not a huge mystery about it and the children are not tempted to go off and do it on their own and get themselves in trouble. I think what you are doing is wonderful!